A Warrior's Journal
by Starrynight-Blue and Gray
Summary: This is rather short One Shot story based on Final Fantasy for the NES.  It has the beginnings of a malemale romance but nothing more.  It blasts quickly through most of the plot.  ConCrit  is welcome.
1. Chapter 1

I don't know how long it's been... it seems like forever. Becca says it's only been about three years. I don't think she's right about that. She tends to lose track off time, a lot of religious are like that, hell I am, that's why I lost track and had to ask her. Becca hails from a religious order that's a little different from mine. I think I talked about them a long time ago, but then my journal was incinerated when we met up with this troupe of monsters that cast Fire Spells. They nearly ended this quest…Quest, hah! That's what Becca calls it, but I don't think I'd give it that good a name. It's been more like a death trap with some extra messenger drones thrown in, but I guess I was never the type that dealt well with unexpected adventure. I'd preferred a quiet life with my Order, healing and praying, but the Lady of Light had more in mind for me. 

I'd best go through all the introductions again, you know just in case we die somewhere and some other hero manages to pick up the tattered remains of this scroll or something. Of course if you are a warrior who finds our ravaged corpses for the sake of all the Light Gods, get out of here before the same thing happens to you!! I'm sorry; my mind tends to go off like that, I'm not much for adventure, like I said.

Becca is a monk from the Order of the Fleet Fist. An interesting group that trains their followers to be experts at bare handed fighting. They train them to be fast so that the monsters they fight can't touch them. She doesn't wear a lot of armor, so if she gets hit, she gets hit hard, but they have to hit her. I'm sure she's one of their best. She's amazingly fast; she can take out a few monsters before they even realize that we've arrived. She tends to wear blue, even though her order prefers its devotees to wear red. I guess that's what happens when you get away from your order too long; you start wearing what you like. She claims that she hates red; she says that she doesn't like blood. She likes me well enough and I wear some red, but she's pretty forward about everything. Not really my type, but few people are really, Moksi says I'm too much of a hermit. Sorry, back to Becca, she's tall and pretty thin. Well, we're all pretty thin because of this journey. But she's lean and strong, with this long brown hair and these sharp blue eyes. She has a pretty average face in my opinion. You know, not to long or short, medium round eyes, nice average lips. Pretty average all around until she starts punching things.

Kyo is our Elemental Wizard. He's pretty much a master at controlling the elements and most of his spells make mine look useless in comparison. He's a frail little guy though, can't stand up to a powerful attack. He liked to hide his face in his hat up until we met up with the King of the Dragons and proved our worth as Warriors of the Light. He got rid of the hat after that. I asked him about it once and he told me that he considered himself shy, and well, not the best to look at, being thin and sickly at the best of times. I guess he's not so bad looking, too skinny for my taste, and like I said, very frail. It seems like I'm always healing him. The biggest weapon he can handle is a fighting knife, but he's pretty good with it. It was rough when we started, but he's getting better now. He makes up for his lack of prowess with a sword with his spells. He's got a few that can take out a city! He's a pretty nice person otherwise. He's not as talkative as me and not as critical of things as Becca. It was hard at the beginning, but now we all have things in common, so it's pretty easy to get him to talk to one of us. He's not at all hell bent on destroying the world, and even though it's said that his magic draws upon the black arts he doesn't give off an aura of evil. He's the kind of guy that if I'd meet in an Inn somewhere we might have been passing friends. As it stands now, he's a fellow worker of Power, and that makes him a friend pretty much automatically. We talk about working with divine and elemental power all the time. When he hasn't got his face buried in a book of scroll or some sort.

Moksi is the Fighter of our little rag tag band. Give him a sword and some armor and he'll plow through a line of monsters like they're not even there. Kyo has a spell that he can cast that makes him even faster. It's pretty frightening when he and Becca can move that fast, they can take out the enemy before they have a chance to strike. But Moksi, well, he's something special. He has this absolutely flaming red hair and these deep blue eyes that are always warm and tranquil, even when he's in battle, his eyes never show a blood lust. His face reminds me of some kind of young warrior god. He sometimes can have a calculating expression, but even that doesn't seem to be threatening to me. My heart beats faster just thinking about him. He's not at all gruff, like you'd expect a sword wielder to be, he's even more congenial than Becca. He's the one who really kept us all together, a bit like a caring older brother. He's built a bit like Becca but a lot larger, which I assume is from training in full armor. He's gotten a lot stronger since we started not to mention that since we trained with the King of Dragons, he could use pretty much any weapon he could get his hands on. He's just really great.

I kind of gave up trying to impress him, you know, what with me not being a fighter and all. All I wield are blunt maces and I'm not very good with even those. My specialty is healing and protection spells, although my order, we'll just call it the White Robes because the real name is, well, pretty dumb in my opinion, grants us spells that are good for use against the undead. I'm a kind of warrior against them, my spells can be pretty effective, and it's the one thing I that I can take some pride in.

I'm not much to look at either, not as skinny as Kyo, since I wield a mace that probably weighs as much as he does. I'm still pretty small though, at least compared to Moksi and Becca. I'm the healer of the group really, that's what the White Robes are really all about. We heal, and we hit things with maces, (we usually miss, unless you get special training, which needless to say I never really got). We'll destroy some undead too, if we can find them. I never went into caves much, but once we started this quest I became really good at casting them, which was good since we met up with a lot of those creatures.

I should probably state, for the record, that I'm male. You wouldn't of known it, even after I open my mouth, that's what Becca, says. I'm not sure what it means to talk like a girl, since most of the girls I know seem to talk the same as the boys, at least to me, but Becca insists I talk like a girl. I wear my brown hair long and I wear a long hood and robes, well Kyo does too, but after he got rid of the hat it was obvious that he was male. Even after I stopped wearing the hood it was hard to tell. Becca's convinced I was female at one time and that I had some accident at my Order that I'm not talking about, heh but that's Becca for you. I'll assure the reader that I've been male all my life, unless my parents didn't tell me something. Kyo couldn't really care less, he's got his nose in a scroll most of the time. Becca doesn't seem to mind either way even if she talks about it all the time, and Moksi agrees that they need me to heal battle damage. Sometimes I think that's the only reason that they keep me around, well that and managing to take care of the numerous undead that lurk in these infernal dungeons. Don't get me wrong; I've come in pretty handy in a few of those damnable dungeons that seem to litter this Light Forsaken Landscape. I've been the only one who could keep us alive. That's not pride, even though it's something I have precious little of, it's the truth.

This really isn't the place for confessions, but I might as well. Don't start to think that we're on our way to our last battle; every day is a last battle. Everyday we're retrieving something else for someone and saving a kingdom from falling into the darkness, risking our lives in the process. That's all well and good, but it's getting a little bit tiresome, we're not postal carriers, we're supposed to be heroes. Now we're getting ready go back in time, I'll explain later. At any rate, back to what I was going to say in the first place. I think I'm in love Moksi. I'm not sure it's obvious, it mustn't be obvious or else I'm sure Becca would have said something. If she notices something she speaks up on it, like my looking like a girl for example. I don't think a night goes by where she doesn't bring that up. Kyo might know, he just knows things sometimes. I'll stop there for now, this is getting long and the sun is going to set soon.

Yoruri rolled up the scroll and tucked it away in a pocket of his robe. Becca was busy shadow boxing while Kyo was alternating between muttering over an old scroll and tracing strange symbols into the ground with a stick. Moksi looked as if he had just finished repairing his sword and armor. Yoruri dusted off his long robes. He was most certainly due for some meditation but the sight of Moksi sans his armor in his simple cotton padded clothing was enough to make him too distracted to even try.

He sighed. Relationships between warriors and those of the White Robe Order weren't unheard of; even relationships when both parties were of the same gender were not highly uncommon so Yoruri wasn't afraid of the consequences. It was actually rather common, the relationships often started out in a necessity. The warrior needs someone to heal them when the battle gets too tough and the Healer needs protection from the monsters of the uncharted lands. Yoruri had plenty of friends whose relationships that had started that way, so did Kyo. Moksi was sure to have an open mind. He just wasn't brave enough to say anything. He knew he had a soft heart and if Moksi said no, Becca would never let him hear the end of it and he knew that would drive him almost to distraction. He'd be no good at keeping his companions alive if that happened. He stared at the warrior as the light of the sun dimmed. The red of the setting sun seemed to glow off his hair and made a halo around his young face. He offered up a few prayers for strength and guidance. His Lady of Light had never failed him, his faith was unshaken, and he needed that faith.

"We're going to have to camp out here tonight!" Becca announced to no one's surprise. Having just exited another dungeon no one was planning on making the half a day's trek back to town, especially through the monster infested countryside. The trip into the Sky Castle had left them pretty low. Becca's voice jolted him back into reality. He gathered up his scattered things and then helped Kyo organize his ever-growing collection of scrolls.

"I think I may have figured out they enchanted these shirts!" Kyo announced waving the white and black shirts in Yoruri's face when he came to help. "If I can get it right we wouldn't have to worry about only being able to cast our spells a few times a day!" Kyo had always hated that rule of the Power. The Power drained the body and to cast powerful spells more than a few times a day could kill a mage easily.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Kyo. If Lady Light wanted us to be able to do that…"

"Yes, yes…" Kyo waved him off. He was gripping the black shirt so hard his knuckles were turning white. His eyes were getting that gleam that made him nervous.

"Besides…" Yoruri lowered his voice. "What if one of those Fiends got a hold of something like that?" That was a real danger and the thought was enough to make his stomach sink with worry. Did the Fiends have things like these? Who left these things in these dungeons? Questions he may never get the answers too.

Kyo looked thoughtful and slightly downcast. "Yes, your right about that, but…" he turned a pair of big yellow/green eyes and stared Yoruri with such a childlike look that he couldn't be frightened by the odd color. "I may not figure it out, but I could always keep trying right? No harm in trying right?!?"

Yoruri chuckled. "Of course, Kyo, there's never harm in trying. I'll even put in a good word for you with the Light Lady." Kyo was pretty simple when it came to things like that. He never cared much for the spells, it was the learning the spells that he loved. His passion for learning was incredible.

Kyo fairly beamed with childlike glee he stared at the pair of shirts with a new reverence. Becca was busy rummaging through the bag for one of the magic houses they'd invested in back in town. They were expensive but it was better than just sleeping in a bedroll under the stars. You slept much sounder when there was a magically enchanted wall between you and the legions of Evil that were out for your blood. Becca tossed the tiny little box into an open area and within moments a hut appeared. The hut was large enough to contain two bunk beds on one side, a table and cooking stove in the center and camber pot and sink for washing on the other. It was a humble affair, but a blessed one compared to spending the night fending off wandering monsters. Becca threw her traveling bag on the top bunk of the set of beds furthest from the wall and Kyo chose the bed under her, which left Yoruri and Moksi to share a bunk. It was nothing unusual, but at least they had the ones near the wall. Perhaps Becca and Kyo were sick of hearing him fall out of the bed at night. Yoruri hadn't done much traveling up to this point and wasn't particularly good at sleeping in a confined space. His bed back at his Temple had been on the floor, leaving him plenty of room to roll around to his hearts content.

Kyo spread out his work on the table. Becca managed to contain it to a small space and then started to help Yoruri get dinner. The stove was as magical as the house and provided two meals. It was just a matter of coaxing the meal out of the stove before it burned up. Becca was also doing her best to make sure the stove stayed lit that night. The magic had a tendency to want to go out at night and since they were spending the night in the desert, Becca had no mind to be cold.

Dinner was served amidst talk about where they were going to go next. The destination seemed obvious in Moksi's mind. They needed to head back to the beginning, to the place where they had fought Garland so long ago. Becca wasn't so sure and she made sure that everyone knew it.

"The crystals are all lit, what more do we have to do?" She stabbed her spoon down into her soup, a gesture that made more of a mess than it had any effect. "We've done what this prophecy has said that we'll do."

"You saw the power lines through the window up there." Moksi pointed up at the ceiling. "The power is all concentrated on that Temple. At the very least we could go back and see what's going on. Remember the Sages at Crescent Lake were talking about some kind of Time Loop? We need to go and talk to them."

"We fought the Fiends once, we don't want to have to fight them again." Kyo noted give the ceiling a meaningful glance. "You don't want to have to fight Tiamat's guard again."

Becca's face turned pale. Tiamat's guardian had been some sort of ancient machine gone haywire and it had nearly killed them all. Kyo's reminder silenced any more opposition. Anything was better than the thought of going up to that Castle again.

We've settled down for the night so I can write some more and try to at least remember all the pages that I'd lost. Kyo is doing more research into all those magical items we found. He really wants to figure out how the enchantment was placed.

But that's not really important. I'll try to start from the beginning. Where we're all from isn't really that important, what's important to know is how we all met in the first place. We all had the same really strange dream and we all woke up with this crystal in our hands. Then, well, then we all found each other in various interesting ways, but that's not really important either. The Light Lady led us together, of that I'm sure. She is the one who brought us together and keeps us together. I wonder if it's a test for me. Although I really doubt it, my faith is never really in question. We all made the long journey to this world and found it in chaos. We were deposited near Cornia will little more than 400 gold pieces to our names, just about 100 each. We went to see the king and received no aid, he just wanted us to rescue his daughter who had been captured by Garland, a knight gone rouge. Then he said he would rebuild the bridge that connected his country to the other lands. We didn't have much choice, and bearing our crystals we set out to do what we had too. It's been hard all around, getting supplies, armor and weapons. It was especially hard in the beginning when there was little money to be found.

Garland proved to be no problem and I think Princess Sarah was really taken with Moksi. She gave him, well she said she gave it to all of us, but I know it was really just for him, a Lute, which she said was magical. We crossed the bridge to visit an old blind witch that we'd heard about. The poor thing was blind as a bat without a Crystal Eye that she used to see. There wasn't much we could do to help her at the time so we just continued on our way to Provoka, the sea town. We arrived there to find the place near deserted. We found one man, sporting a blue mokawk of all things, who told us that pirates had overrun the town. Bikke, I think his name was, it's been a long time. Well, he sent his crew after us and we just knocked them out. Kyo hit them with a sleep spell and the ones that didn't fall asleep we gave a few bumps. Bikke whimped out at that point and gave us his ship. The crew didn't seem to mind working for us.

We left Provoka for the Land of the Elves traveling by sea, the monsters there weren't as bad as those on land, with a few exceptions. We'd heard that Astos, a dark elf, had put the Prince into a deep sleep. A few people pondered that Matoya could probably make the herbs that would cure him. We'd also heard of a land called Melmond that was having trouble, but we already had a lot to do, they'd have to wait. Do you see what I mean? We have to run all around the world to try find things.

The elves were supposed to hold the Mystic Key for the Light Warriors, but no one could really concentrate on that with their prince asleep. The only clue we had was an old ruined castle in the Northwest. We went there and found a King in the throne room, but no one else. He demanded that we go find Astos in the Marsh Cave and return his crown to him.

I didn't like this king at all, but what could we do? We needed to Prince to wake up, so we made the journey through the cave. It was a hard road with all kinds of monsters we'd never seen before and who were stronger than we'd thought. We ended up having to leave that cave and clear the countryside of monsters to secure enough gold to buy some more potions to cure the aliments that those creatures down there will give you.

I'll try to keep this short, we made it through the cave getting some nice treasure and finding a few more locked doors, but then we fought off some wizards, who gave us a fight and found the Crown. We hurried back out and back to that king. It seemed pretty obvious to all of us that this king wasn't all he seemed and sure enough he turned out to be Astos. He attacked us first and we were forced to kill him. Once he was gone we discovered that he was in possession of the Crystal Eye. So we sailed around returned the Crystal, got some bitter herbs, woke up His Highness who gave us a Mystic Key and then we spent some time gathering all the locked treasure. Then it was off to visit some dwarfs because we couldn't sail out of the Aldi Sea to Melmond.

We found a blacksmith who would later forge Moksi a great sword. We also found a dwarf named Nerrick who was trying to build a canal so he could sail out of the sea as well. We gave him the Explosive Powder that we'd found and he blasted us a way out. We sailed to Melmond.

We found that town in ruins with a Vampire as the cause, so we defeated the Vampire and found a Ruby that would allow us to visit Sandra the Sage, who led us to the first fiend, the Fiend of Earth, Lich. It was a long trek through that dungeon/cave before we found him or her. Whatever it was it was undead so I helped to blast it into nonexistence and we relit the first orb. We were well on our way now. We headed to the Legendary Circle of Sages at Crescent Lake next. They told us the whole story of the fiends and gave us a canoe so that we could sail up rivers. The rivers turned out to be as dangerous as some of the dungeons. The monsters that lurked there were powerful creatures. Our next destination was at the end of a river maze the Volcano where the Fiend of Fire was dwelling.

The Volcano was pretty damn packed with treasure. We had to make several trips to carry it all out. Becca was the most critical of our gold situation and she insisted we not leave anything that was salable behind. Truthfully, she was the one that made sure we always had enough money to attain the supplies and weapons that we needed. What we couldn't find, we had to buy, and some of the best armor we needed to buy. Getting through the Volcano was difficult because of the fire creatures that dwelt there, but the lava filled floors didn't help our progress. We faced Marilith, a serpent woman who wielded several swords and some powerful magic, but we defeated her after a long battle and relit the Orb of Fire.

Our next task, or the task that Moksi set for us, was to head to the Ice Cave, after some people told us about a Floater Stone that would raise an airship out of the desert. That was another long canoe ride and a cold cavern that was more dangerous than all the others. The creatures there could cast some powerful spells. It took us a long time to make it through, that's where my first journal was destroyed. At times I thought we'd never see the light of day again. I almost lost hope there, we all did, but Moksi kept our spirits up, he kept us alive in that darkness. There was treasure to be found, but finding the Floater Stone took the longest. We finally found it and after a fight with a creature that appeared to be a giant undead eye, we made it out of the cave alive.

We had to sail to the desert where we raised an airship from the sands. It's the best mode of travel that we've found, but we can only land it on clear grasslands. Moksi is wary about landing it in the desert, lest it sinks again, and landing in the swamps or the woods is out of the question. We left the ship's crew to do what they wanted. They said if we ever needed them again they would be back in Provoka. We never really saw them again, although we did spy their ship in a safe harbor.

We flew north and found a town surrounded by mountains, where we bought some wonderful equipment. They all thought it was odd that we'd made it that far. I thought it was pretty odd myself. We'd really come a long way. The next thing we did was visit the Island of the Dragons, that's where we met Bahamut, the King of Dragons. He sent us to a Castle of Ordeals to bring back proof of our prowess as warriors. I didn't want to go, but Becca and Moksi insisted. I only went to follow Moksi, but it was a good thing I was there. The Castle had its name for a reason.

For all the creatures that seemed ready to offer instant death that's where we found some of the magical equipment that started Kyo on his quest to discover how it was made. A pair of gauntlets that could summon lightening and a staff that summoned a powerful healing spell. Finding our way through the Castle was tricky because we got teleported all over the place just by touching pillars, but we finally found the second throne with the proof of our courage, a rat's tail. I'm not joking; I wish I were. Well, we brought that back to the King of the Dragons and he was impressed and magically granted us more power. We stayed to train for a while too, and we learned more than I ever could have back at my Temple. Moksi even learned some healing spells. I was really kind of flattered that he learned my brand of Power, but Becca put a practical spin on it, as she always does. We needed all the healing that we could get, what with all the monsters that were prowling the world. She's right, of course, but I'd like to think it was something more.

We decided to go after the Water Fiend next, but that proved to send us another quest all over the world. In Ornac, we found a woman who wanted to reach the sunken water shrine and rescue the mermaids that were trapped there, but needed a way to keep air in her boat. Everyone we spoke to agreed that we needed something called Oxyale, but that could only be obtained in Gaia and a Pirate there had bottled the fairy and sold her to a Caravan in the desert. We also learned that Dr. Unne had the key to teaching us the language of these people whom we'd visited but couldn't understand. Kyo was sure that those people were the key to reaching the Fiend of Air, but first we had to get to Sea Shrine, because Dr. Unne needed some sort of Rock Slab to teach us the Lefish language.

We all went to the Waterfall first, because someone named Kope claimed to have seen something flying near there. Becca and Kyo both thought it was a wild goose chase, and I have to say I agreed, but Moksi insisted that we go. It was a long twisting maze; we found some treasure and a robot that gave us a Cube. He said it was the only way to get to the Floating Castle. It was actually a great discovery, but we discovered that later. We left the Waterfall cave, and headed to the Caravan.

We had to buy the Fairy back for an obscene amount of money, but we did and Moksi set her free. She flew back to Gaia and we followed her. She gave us the Oxayle in gratitude for setting her free. Now we took the sub down to the sunken temple to kill the Fiend of Water and free the mermaids.

There was of course, plenty of treasure that the mermaids guarded. They gave it to us freely as they begged us to free them from Kraken. We did, after another long battle under the water. We relit that orb and headed back to the surface.

Since we'd found a Slab in that water shrine, we took it back to Dr. Unne, who taught us all Lefinish. It was a nice break from fighting, even if Dr. Unne was a pretty hard teacher. It was a long walk to Lefin, but we made and the people seemed to know who we were. They told us about the five sky warriors, who were now trapped as bats. One also gave us the Chime, which would let us enter the Tower called Mirage and reach the Sky Castle.

That Mirage Tower was full of interesting treasure, as was the Sky Castle. That's where we found the Adamant, which I convinced Moksi to bring to the dwarf to make into a sword. I cast the spell and we left the Castle. It was a good thing that we had the sword made because guarding the Fiend of the Air was an ancient robot that nearly sent us all to the Lady of Light. We survived only to face the Dragon Fiend Timant who controlled the air. It was a hard battle, as beaten up as we were. We finally barely managed to defeat him and relight the orb before we stumbled out of the Castle and back into the desert. That's where we are now. I don't know when I'll get to write next, but we're heading back to Crescent Lake to visit the Circle of Sages.


	2. Chapter 2

Yoruri finished his writing and rolled up the scroll. Becca had already gone to sleep and Moksi was persuading Kyo follow her example. Kyo had agreed and had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Moksi carefully covered him with the blankets. 

"You should get some sleep too." Moksi noted as Yoruri rolled up his scrolls and tucked them safely away.

"What about you?" The White Wizard debated on weather or not to pull off his long robe in front of the Fighter. They'd dressed and undressed in each other's presences very often since they'd started the journey. But something held him back; he was suddenly too embarrassed to remove his clothing. He blushed as he turned his back on the Fighter, but kept his robes in place as he pulled down the blankets.

"I'm going to sleep…Hey, you're not going to sleep in all your clothes are you? You'll be hot as hell, Becca made sure the stove is going to keep going."

Yoruri was glad his back was turned; his face was red. "Umm, no, no, I was going to get changed…." He stammered gripping the blankets. Kyo snored loudly and Becca rolled over mumbling in her sleep.

"Ok then." Moksi walked towards the door of their hut.

"Wait!" Yoruri said before he could stop himself. He found himself stammering when Moksi turned around to face him. "You should get some sleep too, it's going to be a long day…" He tried to calm his voice and hoped that he had managed.

Moksi laughed, his hand turning the handle. "It's always a long day!" He turned back. "You want to come out with me? I know you like to meditate at night, but you'll never get anywhere with those two."

Yoruri smiled as Kyo snored again and Becca responded by reverting to her native language for a few shouted incomprehensible phrases. "You've got a point." Yoruri agreed although he wasn't sure how much meditating he'd be able to do with Moksi sitting nearby. He turned slowly and followed Moksi into the rapidly cooling night air. Moksi leaned against the wall of the windowless cabin and stared up as the stars began to appear. Yoruri sat down on the ground, smoothing his robes he tried to clear his mind of the distraction that was standing a few feet away. "I'll tell him when it's all over." He thought, "Then no one will be distracted." He told himself and tried to open his thoughts to the Divine.

"Yoruri?" The voice was lower than normal and barely more than a whisper, but it made his eyes snap open anyway. He looked up at Moksi, his face was becoming invisible in the darkness, but his red hair stood out around it like a halo.

"Yes?" He managed to keep voice neutral. Moksi sat down next to him, crossing his legs underneath him.

"I've learned your brand of spells, but I've never talked to your Light Lady." He looked away, staring up the stars. "I know the Warrior Lord, I know He touches me, but I don't know the Lady whose power this is." He looked at his hands and sighed. "I can use the power, She must grant it to me…"

"The Lady gives Power to those She sees as worthy." Yoruri recited almost automatically. He felt calmer where his faith was concerned. His raging mind calmed with the recitation. "Sometimes those She grants it too, don't even worship Her." He made sure to stare out into the waves of silver, moon kissed sand in order to keep his mind from returning to the chaotic state it had been in a moment ago. "I wield a mace, but I never talk to your Warrior Lord…" he paused, just long enough to grin, "Maybe I should, maybe my aim would improve."

They both laughed. Moksi followed Yoruri's eyes onto the whispering sands. "I guess we can help each other then." Moksi had always been practical. "I want to talk to the Light Lady, and maybe you could talk to the Warrior Lord." His voice seemed to be less confident than it normally was and Yoruri couldn't help but notice.

"It's easy to help you meditate, if that's what you want…" Yoruri wanted to slip a little closer, but maintained his distance. "Guiding the mind to the Lady is easy."

"If you know what to do, anything is easy." Moksi interrupted with a tone that revealed intense frustration. "I've tried and I haven't succeeded, even the Warrior Lord seems to be shunning me! Have I done something evil?" He turned to face Yoruri with his last sentence. His hands gripped the other's arms in desperation his and Yoruri felt the wet of tears on his exposed hands. Moksi was crying? It was impossible to see in the dark, but then he caught a glimmer sliding down Moksi's face.

Yoruri swallowed and took a moment to open himself to the Sense. He could feel evil, but none of it radiated from Moksi and he was sure to tell the Warrior that. The frightened hands slipped away.

"I'm glad I haven't Fallen, but I wonder. I've had a few dreams that I think are a message and I need to talk with your Lady."

Yoruri's head was spinning. He'd never realized that Moksi put this much faith in his God. Most warriors had only a passing respect for religion and religious services.

"Please…" Moksi's desperate voice cut through his thoughts again. "Please Yoruri, you have to help me." The hands were back, clutching the edge of his robe, one slipped up and gripped his arm in a vise. Yoruri squeaked in pain and Moksi loosened his grip but didn't let go. "Please…" his voice was lower but no less desperate. "Please Yoruri, I don't know what to do…" Moksi's hands shook against Yoruri's arm.

"Moksi?" Yoruri gently touched the arm and in the rising darkness he could barely see the shaking of the warriors shoulders. Moksi was still crying? "Moksi…it…it's ok, I'm sure Lady Light will talk with you, please…please calm down." He laid one hand on the warrior's shaking back. Moksi's shaking slowly stopped and he stared up with swollen eyes.

"What…" he paused and took a deep breath that seemed to restore most of his composure. "What should I do?"

Yoruri took a few moments to make sure that he had his composure intact. Moksi breaking down into tears and begging help from him was not how he had planned to spend his evening. Once he was sure he could handle himself he began to guide Moksi through the steps that he used to meditate. It wasn't very long into the cold night when Moksi's breathing finally indicated that he'd fallen deep into a meditation trance. Yoruri got a few blankets from the cabin and draped them over Moksi's shoulders to make sure that the cold desert night didn't freeze the warrior in the midst of his quest. He than sat down to enter into his own meditation.

Yoruri was floating in a colorful landscape, shapes and forms rushing past at a blinding pace. He looked around before calling out a few times. A bright silver light swirled around him, pulled him up and then settled.

"You have come back, my child." The voice soothed his fears and even his chaotic mind. A feeling of perfect peace filled him and he allowed himself to be swallowed by it. "You have done well so far, you must keep working hard." The voice paused for a moment and Yoruri enjoyed the feeling of his deity wrapped around him like a blanket of love. The Power filled him and he began to feel himself dropping from the light. His time here was almost at an end he called out his thanks.

"Thank you, child, for leading the Warrior to me. There is someone who will talk to you before you return." The Light around him slowly began to fade, but then a new light began to replace it, a bright red light started to flood into his vision. He started to panic, but a feeling similar to what he felt when the Lady held him washed over him and even though the light seemed to be the color of blood he found himself relaxing despite himself.

A deep voice boomed though his head. "Hello, little warrior." The image of an armed warrior appeared before him. He would've been scared, but the same feeling of peace overwhelmed him and kept him unafraid as the Warrior approached.

"Your path crosses with one of my special ones. Will you help him?"

An image of Moksi flashed before his eyes. Yoruri was confused but one just didn't say no to a god. "I will do my best." He said, but without a voice.

The figure of the Warrior Lord nodded and smiled. It was the gleam of a thousand swords drawn in the first light of the morning. "Yes, you will. You will assist him." The light around him faded and slowly he felt himself return to the heaviness of his body. He managed to draw a deep breath and open his eyes. His breath appeared before him and he shivered in the cold of the moonlight night. Yoruri turned towards where he had left Moksi in his own meditation. The red-haired warrior's eyes were still closed and his breath was still slow but the blanket had slipped from his shoulders down to the crooks of his folded arms and the skin that was exposed was raised with the cold.

The Gods had a terrible sense of humor. He was ordered to help Moksi. Help him? His mind raced and spun. The cold air suddenly made him feel dizzy and sick. How was he supposed to help a warrior? Through his healing spells? The Lady of Light would have told him that, but it hadn't been her, it had been the Warrior Lord. Why? He had called him a little warrior, but Yoruri knew that he was no warrior. He slowly tried to stand, but found that he had been sitting cross-legged longer than his legs would stand for and he tumbled down again, landing in a heap in Moksi's lap. The Warrior barely stirred and Yoruri breathed a sigh of relief, at least Moksi was too deep in mediation to see him like this.

_"Yes!"_ The voice of the Warrior Lord slipped through his mind and even seemed to block his vision. _"You must help my special Sword Bearer."_ A vision of the Lord appeared in front of him, the armor glinting in a light that just wasn't there. _"Help him to find himself, for he is lost and cannot find a road. Be a dear friend to him, little warrior, you both can help each other."_ The tone was as if the Lord were a father talking about a favored son.

Yoruri spoke out loud before he could stop himself. "Yes, Lord." His eyes were drawn up to Moksi's face. The warrior's face was drawn as if attempting to solve a puzzle that was beyond his capabilities.

_"You're paths have crossed."_ Another voice cut into his mind and the Lady came into view, dazzling and peaceful.

_"You can both teach each other for you each have much to learn."_ They both vanished and left him in the cold darkness of the desert. The night air made him shiver and Yoruri struggled to get out of Moksi's arms. The peace that gods had left for him had soon vanished. His mouth was set in a grim line as his thoughts banged into each other like marbles rattled in a bag. Ordered twice to assist and learn from Moksi, he finally managed to get to his feet he wanted to scream to the cold stars in the sky but his breath caught in his throat with a strangled sob that bubbled up and caused tears to spill from his eyes and leave icy trails on his face. He dropped to his knees shivering and crying.

Why were the gods doing this to him? Was this some sort of punishment? It wasn't a sin to be in love with a warrior even if he was of the same gender. He'd been a bit lax on his meditation, but he'd never stopped his prayers. Behind him something stirred and even through his own sobs his ears caught the noise but he didn't move. If some monster were wandering close to the cabin perhaps it would sneak up behind him and put him out of this misery. It would be impossible to hide from Moksi and the warrior would certainly reject him for someone stronger, someone like Becca for instance.

"Yoruri?" Moksi's voice froze him as surly as the cold of the desert night. His tears stopped and his breath caught in his throat. The sound of boots across sand caused every nerve in his body to scream that he should flee. He should rush into the desert and take his chances with the monsters there, that seemed much simpler but Moksi's strong hands clasped down onto his shoulders like iron manacles and he couldn't move. "Yoruri? Are you all right? Did a monster appear? Can you heal yourself?"

The darkness had hidden his face and Yoruri managed to collect his scattered thoughts. "No, I'm ok." His words caught in his throat several times before he chattered them. He tried to struggle to his feet and break into a run, but the attempt aborted itself before it was begun and all he managed was to get to his knees and fall forward into the sand.

"You're going to catch a terrible cold." Moksi said matter-of-factly and hauled Yoruri to his feet, pulling him close to his own body and the blanket. "Let's get inside."

The closeness almost melted Yoruri and Moksi had to pull him back into the cabin and once inside Yoruri pulled away quickly stumbling across the darkened room and into one of the wooden chairs. He and the chair fell to the floor with a terrible clatter. Moksi was there a second later, holding his upper arms.

"Huh!" Becca almost leapt out of her bed. "What's going on?" Kyo simply snored again.

"Yoruri came in from meditation and tripped over the chair in the dark!" Moksi replied. "Go back to sleep. Sorry to wake you."

Becca grunted and flopped back down onto her bed, murmuring what must've been something insulting in her native tongue.

"Yoruri? Are you sure something didn't happen?" Moksi's voice was a low hiss. "You're usually not like this after you meditate." The warrior drew close. "What happened?"

Yoruri found himself almost shivering again. "The Warrior Lord appeared to me…"

Moksi's voice radiated a warm smile. "Yes, Lady Light appeared to me." There was a happy sigh in the darkness. "She said that you would teach me how to use this new power."

This news seemed to calm Yoruri. If the Lady had spoken about his love for the warrior than Moksi had tossed it aside, but since Yoruri doubted that a declaration of that gravity would be tossed aside it meant that God hadn't spoken to Moksi about him. He took several more breaths before he stood.

"The Warrior and the Lady said that we should help each other." He said, his voice calm at last. "I think once we get to town…."

"Once we get to town we'll be able to get some time alone." Moksi said with a voice that broached no argument. "Becca will surly find someplace to continue her training and Kyo will plaster himself to his studies. We'll be able to talk then."

Yoruri's newly gained calm vanished and he broke out into a cold sweat. He stammered something but the warrior silenced him again.

"No, don't worry about it now. Let's get some rest, it's a long walk back to the Airship and then nearly half a day to get to the Sages in Crescent Lake." Moksi said and walked to the bunks pushing Yoruri along. Yoruri turned as Moksi undressed and climbed into bed. "We'll go to Crescent Lake, we can talk there." The springs creaked, as he got comfortable.

Yoruri almost wished he could rush from the cabin and out into the night. He numbly got undressed and into bed. His body was weary and overpowered his mind's need to worry and he fell asleep.

The trip back to Crescent Lake was the longest that Yoruri ever remembered it being. His mind spun and whirled with thoughts. He settled down for meditation but couldn't make his own brain stop spinning. Part of his mind was ready to assure him that the discussion would focus on their visions of the Lord and the Lady and the training that they both needed to undertake to fully understand their new abilities and another part warned that Moksi may wish him to leave the party, due to what the Lord or Lady had told him and even more hopeful part hoped for a declaration of love.

They finally reached to town and true to the late night words of the warrior; Becca vanished to continue her training as soon as she crossed through the welcoming arch. Kyo settled down into his room at the inn and unrolled his scrolls. Moksi lead Yoruri out to a patch of grass a safe distance from the Sages.

"We'll have to wait until Becca gets back before we see the Sages." Moksi chuckled a little. "She did mention that she wouldn't be gone long."

"We could go after her, it's a small town." Yoruri noted, desperately trying to think of ways to explain himself or simply to get out of a private meeting. "Shouldn't we meet with the Sages quickly?"

Moksi looked solemn. "That's true, but we need to rest anyway. We're in no shape to take on another battle too soon. We should let Kyo and Becca get these spats of training and research out of their systems so that they're not distracted." He sat down under a tall tree at the edge of a clearing. "We need to train ourselves. If we can master our new abilities we'll be stronger for whatever else is out there."

Yoruri stared at the ground. His booted feet shuffled uneasily in the well tamped down grass. He wished that he could curse something, but he couldn't curse the Gods and he couldn't curse Moksi. He cursed himself instead and made sure to curse himself loud and long in his own mind. Moksi was right, of course Moksi was right, he was always right and now he had the Gods on his side. Damnit! He stared up at the sky and wondered if those Gods were laughing at his dismay now.

"Is something wrong, Yoruri?" Moksi's voice shattered Yoruri's internal monologue.

He wanted to scream: "Yes! Yes! Everything is wrong! The Gods want me to teach you and they want you to teach me but I won't be able to concentrate because I _love_ you, damn _me_ to all hells!" But a tiny little, "No." was all that came out of his mouth.

"Good, well come over here and sit down." Moksi gestured to a shady spot next to him. "Where should we start?" He asked after Yoruri had settled himself into a tense posture.

"Why don't we meditate?" Yoruri suggested. Yes please, he thought, meditate, I need to clear my mind, oh Light Lady, help me!

"Clear our minds?" Moksi nodded and settled into position.

Yoruri's eyes closed and he threw himself into meditation without even responding.

Dear sweet Light Lady I don't know how much longer I can take all of this! We haven't been in Crescent Town long, only a day and I'm ready to throw myself into the bloody lake that the town is named after! I'm not sure whether I want to drown myself or calm these damn hormones that I didn't know I even had! Why, Lady? Why!?

We're back at Crescent Town and we're waiting for Becca and Kyo to come out of their respective hiding holes before we go and talk to the Sages. Moksi wants us all together when we go. That left me alone with him all day! All the God's Cursed send us all to the deepest hells, Day!

We started with meditation, which really calmed me down, and then we moved onto talking about the Divine Power and that was easy enough. I could handle that. Moksi actually takes to it very well, I don't think he'll ever be able to master some of the higher level spells, but he did very well with many of the basic ones. The spells were easy and I could manage to keep my mind on the magic but then Moksi tried to teach me how to fight and I'll be damned to the lowest of the dark hells if I could keep my mind on anything he said. Well, I did at the beginning, but then…oh _Gods_ then! Then he had to stand behind me, with his arms around me and resting on my hands on my mace to show me how to swing! I'm surprised I didn't make a bloody fool of myself! Oh Lady help me!


	3. Chapter 3

Moksi idly watched Yoruri writing on his scroll from the other side of the inn room. The accommodations at Crescent Lake were wonderful now that they didn't have to worry about money. The white mage was stabbing at the paper as if it had committed some dreadful sin, but Yoruri had seemed a little out of touch all day. 

The creaking of the door pulled his attention for a moment. Becca appeared and wandered into the room.

"There you are!" Moksi said cheerfully. "We should go and talk to the Sages tomorrow if you can spare the time." He grinned at her.

Becca nodded. "Not like the world can wait." She added something else that Moksi didn't think he wanted translated. Becca had a rather low opinion of the Sages in general. Becca had a generally low opinion of most things until she got to know them.

"We'll just have to pull Kyo out of his scroll." Moksi pondered aloud.

"You cover me and I'll get a bucket of cold water." Becca laughed. Moksi laughed too, but Kyo ignored them both. The only one to look up was Yoruri and as soon as their eyes met he turned his eyes back to his scroll and stabbed at it all the more fiercely.

"I don't know, Kyo is behaving normally at least, Yoruri's been a little off." Moksi said. "He doesn't normally look _that_ pale."

Becca looked over and snorted. "That's because he's practically in love with you."

Moksi looked a bit surprised. "Love? Really? That bad?"

Becca glared at him. "You know?"

Moksi looked a bit affronted. "I guessed a while ago, but didn't think it was love."

Becca mumbled again in her native language before she spoke again in the Common. "It's something at any rate and if its not love then I'm a turtle."

"The Warrior Lord appeared to him and the Lady of White Magic appeared to me…" He began deciding not to make a comment on the turtle.

"Oh!" Becca said with a drawl. "Fated lovers! How romantic!" She made an impressive pair of star struck eyes at Moksi before she reverted to her normal self. "You should do something before he bores a hole in the table. If he's whacked out over you we'll all get fried." She glared at him. "I didn't come this far to get fried."

"What do you want me to do?" Moksi asked throwing his hands in the air in surrender.

"Tell him you love him, tell him you hate him, screw him until he can't walk, I don't care. Pick one." She shrugged.

Moksi blinked at her. "That's a bit tactless, don't you think?"

"Nope." She said looking him over once. "Hey! Yoruri!" She bellowed across the room.

Yoruri started and his quill flew from his hands. He looked back over his shoulder. "Yes, Becca?" His voice was shaking.

"Get over here! Moksi has something he wants to tell you. You two are going for a nice walk!" She glared down at Moksi. "Keep that kid in one emotional piece or so help me, by the Tiger, I'll pound you so far into the ground you'll meet the Devil." She said through her teeth and then looked up and smiled at Yoruri as he approached. "You two go walk. I'll see if I can separate Kyo from his scrolls by tomorrow." She pushed Yoruri into Moksi's arms and hustled them both out the door and slammed it behind them.

Moksi chuckled. "That's Becca." He muttered. Tactful as always, he thought, leading a confused looking Yoruri downstairs and out into the sunset.

Yoruri stared at Moksi's back as they made their way out into the field. Something to tell me? He thought, his mind still awhirl within itself. Moksi had been talking to Becca… had he been voted out of the group? His thoughts spiraled downwards from there. When Moksi finally stopped walking Yoruri was so far into his thoughts that he slammed into Moksi's back and tumbled to the ground but he'd no sooner hit it than he started babbling.

Yoruri's words came in a steady, fast, and incomprehensible stream. Moksi, who had turned to assist him to his feet, found himself confronted with his fellow warrior near tears and making no sense. Moksi felt a twang for him. He could remember his own mind on that night in the desert. He didn't know what he could do to calm Yoruri's mind, he'd always been a rational and methodical person and his sense of reason told him that he should get to know Yoruri's and his own ideas of love before he went headlong into a relationship, especially one that affect their lives or untimely deaths. Becca had managed to abort that attempt in her own special way. Becca had also threatened him and he knew that she was one to follow through on her threats.

He sighed and yanked Yoruri abruptly to him effectively silencing his incoherent babbling. "Becca told me to do or say one of three things." He began with a sigh. Yoruri broke off into another spat of incoherent babbling and Moksi had to suppress the urge to kiss him just to make him stop. "Yoruri, do you really love me?" The man in his arms froze. He looked down and the Mage's face was paler than his robes.

Yoruri suddenly felt cold. Had the Gods told him? Had he known all along? Yoruri felt like he was a young boy all over again. He felt himself blushing and he lowered his eyes. "Yes. I really love you." He almost whispered. He closed his eyes hard to hold back tears. He wasn't a young boy and he wasn't going to start crying. He made a prayer to the Light Lady and took a deep breath.

"How long?" He heard Moksi's voice from above him. His head tried to sink lower. "Sometime after we met. I wasn't planning on telling you until after this whole thing was over…"

"Becca knew." Moksi interrupted.

Yoruri gave a sick little laugh. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Becca knows everything."

"Why didn't you want to tell me?" Moksi's voice sounded tender, but Yoruri still didn't look up.

"I didn't want either of us to be distracted but I guess I gave myself away this afternoon." He said grimly staring at the tops of his scuffed and travel worn boots. "The Warrior Lord told me to help you…"

Moksi suddenly forgot why they had come out into the field. He gripped Yoruri's shoulders and pushed him back so that he could look him in the eyes. "The Warrior Lord commanded you to help me?" His voice made Yoruri wince and he tried to soften his tone. "You wouldn't have otherwise?"

"No!" Yoruri almost shouted his eyes coming dangerously close to tears once again. "I would have helped you no matter what the Gods had said. Damnit! I'm in love with you!" He pulled out of Moksi's grip and turned to face to night. "I don't think I could leave your side if the Lady of Light threatened to damn me if I didn't!"

Moksi could hear tears in Yoruri's voice and now found himself at a bit of a loss. He hadn't expected that adamant of a vow but he knew that he simply couldn't stand and say nothing. "Ah…well…that night…in the desert. That night when you helped me talk to the Light Lady. The Warrior Lord finally spoke with me again…thank you…" his words seemed to shatter on the silent of the night.

"You're welcome." Yoruri said with a small smile. "It was the first time that the Warrior Lord ever appeared to me. I have to follow his command." He now dared to look up at Moksi and managed another tiny smile. "Although, I cannot press my presence on you. Please let me assist you in your magic and perhaps help you find a new focus with your sword skills." He bowed once. "I can ask you nothing else." He turned and began to walk back towards the inn.

Moksi struggled for words but found none. Even though the posture of Yoruri's walk hadn't changed it looked defeated.

Yoruri walked back into the inn and was met by Becca who gave him a suspicious stare.

"Why the face?" She demanded. "What did Moksi tell you?"

Yoruri managed to regain most of his composure. "He didn't tell me anything, he just asked me if I love him."

Becca nodded slowly. "And you said…?"

"I said yes. I love him." Yoruri declared.

"And he didn't say anything after that?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

Yoruri shook his head sadly. "No, he didn't."

"Go to bed." Becca ordered. "We'll be seeing the Sages tomorrow." She mumbled something else as she passed by Yoruri and headed down the stairs.

"Where are you going? Not to kill the Sages I hope." Yoruri's chuckle sounded a little to forlorn and the attempt at humor fell flat.

"No. Go to bed, Yoruri." Becca stalked down the stairs and Yoruri didn't dare to go after her. He turned and entered their room to go to bed, as she had been ordered. It seemed clear that Moksi didn't love him, but he wasn't forced out of the party. Yoruri smiled grimly at the bed sheets as he readied himself. At least it hadn't been painful, he reflected, it could have been much worse.

Becca stormed out of the Inn and met Moksi at the door. She pushed him backwards out into the night.

"Becca? What?" Moksi found himself shoved hard but he managed to keep his feet.

"Do you love Yoruri?" She demanded her visible anger lending itself to her accent, which became unusually thick.

"What? I…" Moksi stammered unprepared as always for Becca's ability to get directly to the point of a conversation without any introduction.

Becca gripped the front of Moksi's shirt and almost hauled him off of his feet. "I told you to keep that boy in once piece and so help me I _will_ send you to meet to Devil Beast!"

"Becca!" Moksi tried to remove her hand in order to get some air into his lungs. "I swear I…"

"I don't want your oaths, warrior!" She spat. "Do you love him or not?" Her grip almost cut off the rest of his air.

Moksi stared down at her. "I…I don't know!" He gasped, kicking his legs a little hoping that she would get the hint.

Becca's grip tightened. "You don't know? You'd better decide very quickly, warrior!" She made the word sound like a curse. "Yoruri has saved our lives! You owe him at least the dignity of a straight refusal!"

Moksi coughed and debated kicking her to allow him some more air. "I never refused him…I…"

"I'll leave you some time to talk with your Gods, warrior!" She threw him onto the ground and Moksi gasped gratefully. "You'd best decide which way you're going to talk!" She turned. "I'll be waiting for you behind the door." Becca stormed back into the Inn and Moksi sat stunned where he had landed and tried to catch his breath.

Becca was always straightforward about things but he'd never been hauled off his feet and threatened in the same day. He sighed and stared at the closed door of the Inn. He knew that Becca wouldn't let him back into their room unless he had an answer either way. He sighed and walked back towards the spot where he and Yoruri had spent the afternoon. He sat down heavily on the grass and stared up at the stars as they began to flood the sky. He took several deep breaths and decided that Becca's "suggestion" that he talk to his God seemed like the best idea. He closed his eyes and opened his mind.

It was hard to keep his mind on the meditative track, but eventually his body felt disconnected and heavy and he seemed to float upwards. He was met by a Red Light and a figure that stood in full armor.

The voice rumbled his very soul. _"You have come to me again, my Sword Bearer."_ The statement was amused. _"What trouble makes you return?"_

Moksi carefully told his story, even Becca's threats. The words poured across his mind and almost sent him into new turmoil.

The Warrior Lord was soon all around him. _"Look within yourself and fin the answer, Sword Bearer."_

Moksi wanted to scream and yell, but he only clung to the deity that hovered around him. He never thought about love. He'd only thought about weapons, armor, and the best strategies for fighting. He'd devoted his time and life to battle. He'd never given much thought to deeper feelings. He had never needed to, this was unfamiliar territory and he had no way of knowing how to fight this battle.

_"Look."_ The stern command turned his eyes into himself and soon he seemed to be floating in his own mind.

When he returned to himself he found that instead of sitting he was lying flat on his back. He opened his eyes into the sea of stars blocked by the black colored leaves of the trees. He rose shakily to his feet, his mind and body felt spent, as if he had been out in the desert doing hard labor all day. He staggered back to the inn. Becca said nothing as she opened the door and ignored him when he flopped into his bed.

Morning dawned and Becca shook Moksi awake.

"Wake up, warrior!" She stared at him and Moksi attempted to make her come into focus. "You and Yoruri are going for another walk." It was a statement, not an option. Moksi seriously wondered of her native language even had question marks.

Moksi tried to sit up. The room slowly swam into focus and he noticed that Kyo was already bent over his scroll. Yoruri was slipping his robe over his head. "The Sages…" He mumbled drowsily.

"Can wait another day." Becca growled and stared at him, as if daring him to defy her. "Now get up and take the Wizard downstairs for breakfast before I send you to stay with your God permanently."

Moksi snapped awake at the threat and tried to clean himself up and straighten and smooth his clothes.

"Oh, Yoruri!" Becca's voice was cheerful now. "Moksi is going to take you to breakfast and then you two are going for another walk." She slapped the Wizard on the back, almost sending him sprawling to the floor.

Moksi looked over at Yoruri. The Wizard looked as if he wanted to sink into the floor and Moksi really couldn't blame him.

Yoruri stared over at Moksi. His clothes were rumpled as if he had slept in them and he found himself staring at his feet once again in an effort to control a blush. What did Moksi want from him now? Did Moksi want to tell him that he should leave? He slowly walked towards the door of the room. Moksi fell into step behind him and Yoruri had to force himself not to run. He wanted to run out of the inn and throw himself to the mercy of the wilds. Something held him back and he whispered a prayer to the Light Lady.

Moksi watched Yoruri's back. His pace was nervous and stiff. Moksi sighed inwardly and wished that Becca would learn to be more tactful. He thought he caught Yoruri whisper a prayer to his god and Moksi smiled sadly and he wanted to reassure him, but for some reason he couldn't open his mouth until they were out in the clearing near the Sages.

"Yoruri, I'm sorry for my reaction yesterday." Moksi decided that this would be the best way to start, but before he could continue, Yoruri's sad voice interrupted him.

"I should have waited, despite Becca, I should've waited." He was staring hard at his boots and the grass, but his words were fast. "I'm sorry for putting you in that position and considering that you mustn't really love me…"

"Stop!" Moksi said a little more forcefully than he intended and Yoruri jumped backwards. He softened his voice for his next words. "I never said that. I never said anything, I just demanded answers and I jumped to conclusions."

Yoruri had looked up briefly but had quickly returned to his intent observation of the grass. "You don't have to make excuses, Moksi." He chuckled, but it was a low sad strained as if in the verge of another wave of tears. "I can handle rejection like an adult. You can come out and say it, I wouldn't be offended."

Moksi felt the urge to throttle the White Wizard but he took a deep breath. "Yoruri, I never said anything either way and if you want the truth it's because I've never given a though to love or anything else." He paused to gather his words, unused to this situation. "I'm a warrior…" he fell off as he realized the argument was a poor one. "I'm not rejecting you…"

Yoruri looked up cautiously. "What are you doing then?" The Wizard's voice was calmer, now with less of an edge of sadness and more an edge of confusion. The sounds of the town getting ready for the day could now be heard in the distance and the sun climbed a little higher.

"I'm saying that I don't know what to do." Moksi admitted with sagging shoulders. He opened his mouth to say more wishing there were a way to convey what he had discovered about himself without words. Words didn't seem to do it justice. He ended up just staring helplessly at Yoruri.

Yoruri stared back. "You don't know what to do?" The wizard tilted his head to one side and seemed to want to say something else, but thought better of it and simply shook his head. "You always know what to do."

Moksi gritted his teeth in frustration. "That's exactly the problem!" He felt like pacing, something he never did. He took a deep breath instead. "Look. I need to know what you'd expect out of a relationship before I declare undying vows of affection."

Yoruri's look grew more quizzical. "You need time…" his voice fell off in confusion and he blinked several times before continuing. "Ok, you need to know, but I need to know. What am I to you?"

There it was the question that Moksi had run through his head in a hundred different forms, but at least wasn't: "Do you love me?" He felt as though he were on firmer ground now. He knew that he couldn't pause to long, but it was hard to know where to begin.

"You are special to me. I know you are special to my Lord and your Lady favors you. I know that my Lord led me to you but I don't know why." He paused to see how Yoruri was taking this. The White Wizard didn't seem upset so he continued. "I would be willing to try and see if we could work things out. You are of the same mind as me, you don't want to put the others in danger, but I know that you must be something special since you lead my back to my Lord." His eyes looked past Yoruri, actually dreading looking at the Wizard, he studied the trees beyond where he could see the red robes of the Sages.

Yoruri's face softened into a smile. "The Lady always has something in mind when she brings people together." He dared to reach up and touch Moksi's shoulder. "I am willing to try, although it's rather unfair since I will hardly have to try."

Moksi managed to bring his eyes back to Yoruri's face. It was a beautiful young face, although it bore the traces of their long journey. It was a face that had seen battle, those battles were in his eyes and their trials told in every part of his body. The lines of worry and battle scares seemed to make him all the more endearing. Moksi smiled.

"Good. I'm glad. Now let's see about breakfast. Becca is sure to let us in now."

We haven't left the town yet, but we are actually going to see the Sages tomorrow. Kyo finally took a break from those scrolls, although I suspect Becca had something to do with it because Kyo is pouting.

I feel better now. Everything is settled with Moksi and somehow even though he didn't give me a declaration of undying love my heart is light. I think that even if we do die in a battle ahead I can die happily and go to my Lady free of doubt. It's odd to feel so peaceful outside of meditation.

Moksi told me I was special to him. That's what's making my heart so light. The idea that I could be special to him… I'm sounding like a girl on her first love. The Lady knows that this isn't my first. I love Moksi... I know that now. I'm not in love with him, I truly love him, and his Lord showed me that. I will keep them all safe. Then, perhaps when this is all over we can rest and maybe by that time Moksi will be sure of himself. I can wait until then.

End


End file.
